Dr Alain de Sales
Faculty of Business & Law,
Graduate School of Business
Biography
Alain de Sales joined QUT’s Graduate School of Business after spending several years at the University of Queensland. His PhD examined how courageous followers stand up to destructive leadership. In addition to his PhD, he has an outstanding academic record which includes a BSc with First Class Honours, MBA, MBIT and a Graduate Certificate in Teaching in Higher Education all with High Distinction.Alain has received several awards, some include the prestigious Marsden award by the University of Nottingham, Asian student of the year UK, MBA Academic Achievement Award and a Change Maker Conference Research Award. His PhD was shortlisted by the International Leadership Association for the Jablin Doctoral Dissertation Award.
He has worked or consulted to a diverse set of organizations across several countries. Some of the organisations include Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Australia; Masterfoods, UK; Development Victoria, Australia; Forest and Wood Products, Australia; and was recently Head of Digital at Sensis’ consultancy division Found Digital. He has also run several businesses over the last 20 years.
Alain's passion for the leadership and followership has led him to become the Founding Community Manager of a Global Courageous Follower Hub and is currently the Chair of Courageous Follower Coordinating Council.
Personal details
Positions
- Senior Lecturer
Faculty of Business & Law,
Graduate School of Business
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy (Swinburne University of Technology)
- Master of Business & Information Technology (RMIT University Melbourne)
- Master of Business Administration (RMIT University Melbourne)
- Teaching & Learning in Higher Education (Swinburne University of Technology)
- Computer Science (University of Nottingham)
Professional memberships and associations
- Teaching Followers Courage (Global Chair)
- International Leadership Association
Teaching
- Leadership in Global Development (Program Lead - Micro-Masters)
- Public Sector Management Program (Managing Self & Others)
- Executive MBA & MBA (Leadership Units)
- Service Design Thinking
- Wise Leadership
- Courageous Followership
- International Business Strategy
- Organisational Behaviour
Experience
Alain has held roles in various organizations across Australia, North America, Asia and Europe, spanning from digital strategy and marketing management to policy development and project management. As a senior executive at Found Digital and Managing Director & Co-Founder of My Civic Voice, he played instrumental roles in shaping digital initiatives and civic engagement platforms. Additionally, his positions at Total e-Strategy, Mars Inc. and MYOB required involvement in digital strategy formulation and product marketing, contributing to the growth and innovation of digital services.
Alain’s experience as a Policy Officer at the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet reflects involvement in governmental strategies and initiatives, while influencing policy directions. Also, he has taught leadership across different levels of the Australian government which has been rated very highly. Further, his research has helped to implement significant positive cultural change in a national US-based sciences consultancy. Alain’s diverse background across industries and countries has had a significant real-world impact in digital innovation, strategic planning, cultural change and policy development.
Publications
Filter publications:
A complete list of publications is available at: https://www.qut.edu.au/about/our-people/academic-profiles/alain.desales
Supervision
Looking for a postgraduate research supervisor?
I am currently accepting research students for Honours, Masters and PhD study.
You can browse existing student topics offered by QUT or propose your own topic.
HDR current supervisions
- Cultivating Creativity in the Public Sector: The Impact of Leadership Training on Creative Agency
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Professor Kevin Desouza
The supervisions listed above are only a selection.